Law School: Why Transfer After Your 1st Year

The process of transferring between law schools is as difficult as applying to law school for the first time if not even harder. The pool of applicants is large and the slots available are much smaller. For some people after having gone through the process of applying to law school the last thing they may want to do is go through that process again for a transfer. Many students apply initially and do not get in to law school. Many students apply and do not get into the law school of their choice. When a student is admitted into a law school they've applied to as a second choice transfer application becomes a valuable tool. Depending on the school's rank transferring to another law school may not be a wise idea. The process is a rigorous one that depending on the school's current rank could be a waist of time.

Some people call the transfer process 'the brain drain' because in order to transfer between law schools a student must be a successful student academically and higher ranking at their current ABA approved law school. Not only that but also, to transfer you have to have 30 credit hours from an ABA approved law school before applying to another school. Many people take this option so that they can graduate from a higher ranked law school because getting a job at a big law firm is contingent on where you attend law school (it also involves class rank at that school, but first you have to be in a high ranked law school). If you want to open your own firm upon graduating from law school then the school of choice is not as important. Students face many issues when it comes to choosing a law school to apply for a transfer. Let's view this through the eyes of another law student whom I know transferred from a lower ranked law school to a much higher one. *Terri Wills' GPA was a 3.9 when she completed 30 credit hours and applied to transfer during the Spring semester at about 10 higher ranked law schools.

1) Many schools make transferring in a difficult task.

Some schools explicitly state on their website they rarely take transfer students. Some may even say that they take transfer students who rank in the top 10% or top 20% of another ABA ranked law school. The higher the school is ranked the higher the percentage must be to transfer in to the new school. Terri had no problem since she ranked in the top 5% of her law school.

2) Sometimes high grades are not enough

Many schools will tell you all you need is a B average or rank in a certain percentage and not to worry about extracurricular activity in the first year. Terry applied to a tier one ranked school, with the 3.9 GPA and was denied admissions to some of the schools. In fact Terri applied to 10 schools as a transfer student and was admitted into 4 law schools. There are many factors that could have resulted in this; maybe there was another student with the same GPA who had a better written statement. Maybe there were more students with a 3.7 GPA and a resume with other law school experience. Terri only had a 3.9 GPA to offer in applying to higher ranked schools.

3) Cost involved with a transfer; re-applying and moving

Remember how much it cost to apply to law schools? The same thing applies this time around except you are also paying for the current school you are attending. To apply to 10 schools could mean anywhere from $500 to $700 spent on applications. Then there's the cost involved with submitting official transcripts and letters of good standing from a current law school as a part of the transfer application process. Once you are admitted you then have to consider the cost of moving if the school is in an entirely new city or state. Terri had to also pay money to get out of her rental agreement which was not cheap.

4) Fitting into a new school

Once Terri got into the higher ranked law school and a new schedule was sent to her for the first semester, there were some classes that did not transfer and some classes that she did not take in general at her first law school. Now Terri is taking a class or two that she already paid for at her original school and this time she is taking it with first year law students. Other issues may include fitting in with people who already have their study groups set or circle of friends together. The programs set up at the school for career searching purposes etc. Terri has to make sure to pick up what she may have missed starting law school at another institution.

5) Plans to study abroad may be interrupted

Transferring to a new law school during the Spring semester would mean Terri would have an opportunity to apply to study abroad programs. Any student transferring for the Fall semester as a second year may have missed the application deadlines for summer programs abroad and would have to wait until the following year to get involved.

These are just a few things a person must consider, one other thing to consider:

I suggest you visit a school of choice and ask questions in person. That way you will get answers that you may not get from an emailed question. This is a difficult task because you want to visit when school is in session so that you can talk to current students and sit in on classes. Transferring offers a strain also because what law student has time to visit another law school when classes are in session? Yet in still visiting schools is an important part of the transfer process. Terri visited one school and asked about the amount of students the school typically accepts as a transfer student. The information she obtained was not only the answer but an explanation. The school stated their acceptance of transfer students is contingent on how many spots they have available. There are many factors that change that number; the previous year this school admitted more than they expected. This was because law schools usually offer more seats than there are seats available because not all students accepted to the law school actually attend. That school year all the students who were offered a spot at the school accepted and showed up for attendance so there was no room for new students. So Terri now knows applying for that school year would be pointless since, although they were taking applications there was a very small chance of any student being admitted because there was simply no room in that school's class.

So, when you or if you find it important to transfer to a new school you have to be really smart about the application process. Plan ahead so you have your studying done and time to attend a visit to at least your top choice to consider for a transfer between law schools.

* The student's name has been changed for their privacy